Ken Johnson

37 POSTS
Ken Johnson is an Urban/Hip-Hop columnist for Barrett Media. Born and raised in Washington DC, his career experiences include serving as VP of Urban formats for Cumulus Media, holding the Director of Urban Programming post at ABC Radio Networks, and programming stations in Birmingham, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City. He has also managed affiliate relations for the Nick Cannon show, and worked as the Executive Producer of The Hughley Truth Podcast hosted by comedian DL Hughley. Ken currently runs Mean Ole Lion Media, a content creation company and podcast network. He can be reached by email at ken@kenjohnsonmedia.com.

Is Xania Monet’s Rise the Dark Side of AI for Urban Radio?

"What Xania Monet represents is not a soulless machine, but a new form of authorship. It is Black woman creativity meeting artificial intelligence, and together they are forcing a conversation about equity, control and imagination in the digital era"

Apps Are The Most Underrated Asset in Radio

"Owning this piece of your brand in the digital space elevates your personal brand, sharpens your digital skills, and future-proofs your career."

How the Passing of D’Angelo Brought Out the Best of Urban Radio

"These are the moments that build esteem for urban brands — the things that set us apart from other stations in the market"

Where R&B Radio Lives: Ranking the Top Cities That Shaped the Format

While I’ll admit this could be a bit subjective, since I haven’t lived or programmed in every city that I list in consideration, it’s still a fun debate.

Why There Is Nothing Like the Community of Urban Radio

"This business will teach you that the term friends can be used loosely"

Breaking

Clay Travis: NFL Placing 87% Of Games On Free TV Means They’re “Violating The Law” 13% Of The Time

"You guys have an important responsibility and an opportunity to apply the law fairly freely and help fans everywhere across the entire nation pay less and get more."

NBA Finals Game Three Viewership Highest Since 1998

"Game 3 averaged 23.8 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, a 159% jump from last year's Game 3. The audience peaked at 26.3 million viewers at 11:15 p.m. ET."

CBS News Earned $362 Million From 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News, Others in 2025

"Halfway through this year, CBS is still at 22% of the dollar share."

NAB President Curtis LeGeyt: Congress Must “Reaffirm The Scope” Of Sports Broadcasting Act Of 1961 With All Leagues

"We're not here to scrutinize the NFL's business practices. We're here to affirm that if they want to take advantage of an antitrust exemption granted to them by this body, that there are certain public interest obligations that went along with that."